General Merchandise from DP & Company

Purchased eight years ago by Dave and Brett Eddy, DP & Company is a wholesaler of many different types of merchandise. The company directly import tarps, piping and fittings, as well as other canopy parts. It is also an importer of tools, airsoft guns and general merchandise, and pretty much everything under the sun.

“We have three big categories: Our tarps, our tools and airsoft guns,” says Mike Averett of DP. “Tarps because the quality that we get from our factory, you can’t actually get anywhere else in the United States. Tools just because it’s our base business. We carry a wide variety of hand tools. And airsoft guns, within the past two years, has been our biggest growth segment. We’re actually one of the biggest airsoft dealers in the United States now.”

The airsoft guns are selling so well, in fact, that it’s a challenge to keep them in stock. Averett believes they will be among the company’s main focuses going forward, and anticipates that’s where his business is headed.

Due to the variety of product available, there is also a wide variety of buyers who do business with DP. The company deals a lot with flea market vendors, particularly in its local Florida area, but also throughout the United States in places like New York. Aside from the flea markets, DP & Company caters to small businesses that resell to other customers.

The company’s website, http://www.dpciwholesale.com, has been a part of the business now for approximately four years. But whereas in the beginning there used to only be about 300 or so products available, there are now more than 4,000 DP products online. On a weekly basis, the company gets hundreds of orders via the web, from all across the United States.

“We’re very customer-centric,” says Averett. “Being a wholesaler, we can’t offer the same warranties on merchandise that a retailer would, but we always work with our customers, whether it be getting the best price on shipping for freight, or just answering questions over the phone about everything they might need. We always try to cater to our customers as much as possible, which can’t be said about a lot of wholesalers.”